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Psychology · May 15, 2014

The Power Of Influence

by Sean Devlin, Front Rush

For better or for worse, a lot of recruiting is influence. I like to believe it is more the former, which is why I’d like to share some things we have learned about influence (as you can imagine, a lot of technology creation is influence) and how they can be related to the recruiting game. This is a short list, a teaser if you will, but very impactful to say the least.

“It’s Your Choice”
This by far is my favorite. People like to feel empowered and hate to be told what to do. Simply saying “It’s your choice” after giving an option can dramatically increase the probability the person will act in the direction you intend. A basic example would be “You can eat this sandwich or not…it’s your choice” vs “Eat this sandwich”. The former being the optimal way to deliver the option vs the latter, which puts the recipient on the defensive.

Apologize Before Asking
If you apologize for situations outside of your control prior to asking a question, you are more likely to come across as trustworthy. An interesting study was done where an actor asked 65 strangers if he could borrow their phone. Prior to asking, he apologized for the rain (it was raining that day) and 47% of people asked offered up their device…compared to 9% when he didn’t.

Use Social Influence
This is ingrained in product people and should be second nature to you too. People are influenced by their peers, much more than you may think. Have you ever gone to a website and seen case studies, a client list, logos, etc? Even with Front Rush, when we speak with potential customers, we will bring up some of our clients in that potential customer’s conference or clients that the potential customer competes against or will compete against or has worked with, etc. This makes the potential customer feel like they need to invest in our product as well.

Hopefully these can help you get off the ground, but please use your new influential super powers for good and we’ll be happy to share more.

Sean Devlin is the lead technical architect of the popular contact management database, Front Rush.  Yes, they can help you produce branded, graphic-rich email templates to use with your prospects.  But that’s just the tip of the giant Front Rush iceberg!  Visit Front Rush online for a complete rundown of their awesomeness, and find out why they are the #1 choice of college coaches around the country.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Psychology

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